Text of Political Constitution of Plurinational State of Bolivia
by GEORGE COUTHBERT
The Political Constitution of Plurinational State of Bolivia characterizes Bolivia as a unitary plurinational, and secular (rather than a Catholic, as before) state, formally known as the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
This Constitution determines a mixed economy: State, private, cooperative and communal ownership, but restricts private land ownership to a maximum of 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres).
The Political Constitution of 2009 recognizes two more kinds of autonomies: Indians and regional to adjoin to local and departmental autonomies, making four kinds of autonomies.
It makes of electoral authorities the fourth constitutional organ of public power; introduces recall elections for all elected officials.
The judiciary is reformed, and judges are elected and no longer appointed by the Plurinational Assembly.
It declares natural resources to be the exclusive dominion of the Bolivian people, administered by the state.
Sucre city is acknowledged as Bolivia's capital, but the institutions will remain where they are now (executive, legislative and electoral organs of public power are in La Paz, judiciary in Sucre). The electoral authorities will be situated in Sucre in an uncertain future.
Text of Political Constitution of Bolivia
POLITICAL CONSTITUTION OF PLURINATIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA
February 7, 2009
PREAMBLE
n immemorial times mountains were raised,moved rivers, lakes were formed. Our Amazon, our flatlands, our highlands and
our plains and valleys were covered with flowers and greeneries. We populate
this sacred Mother Earth with different faces, since then we understood the
existing plurality of all things and our diversity as beings and cultures. So
we formed our peoples, and never understood racism until we suffer from the fateful
days of the colony.
The Bolivian people, of plural composition, from the depth of the story, inspired by the struggles of the past, in the indigenous anti-colonial uprising, in independence, in the popular struggles of liberation, in indigenous, social and Trade Union marches, and wars of water in October, in the struggles for land and territory, and with the memory of our martyrs, We build a new State.
A State based on respect and egalitarianism between all, with principles of sovereignty, dignity, complementarity, solidarity, harmony and equality in the distribution and redistribution of the social product, where dominate the search for well-living; with respect to the economic, social, legal, political and cultural plurality of the inhabitants of this land; in collective living with access to water, work, education, health and housing for all.
